A QuickBooks Desktop License Number or Product Code is used on the QuickBooks software to apply and authorize a specific version of the software. So many people use QuickBooks Desktop that it’s easy to find any given product on the Internet. Whether you’ve lost your license key or just want to make sure that nobody else can get their hands on your software. If you need to change a QuickBooks Desktop License Number or Product Code, you can do so using this article.
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If you are looking for a way to change your QuickBooks Desktop License Number or product code, this article is for you, read this article for simple instructions and tips.
What is an Installation Number or Product Code?
A product or installation code is a quick way to identify which version of QuickBooks Desktop your company is using. The installation number or product code is located on the bottom left-hand corner of your QuickBooks Desktop screen.
An Installation Number or Product Code is a QuickBooks product and license number that is assigned to your PC. If you are using a trial version of QuickBooks, the installation number will be recognized as the license key. Rest assured, you can always change this number at any time without losing access to the software on your computer.
Benefits of Having an Updated License Number
One of the best things about changing your QuickBooks Desktop license number or product code is that you can get more features and functionality. For example, the license number determines how many users you can have. The product code determines what type of file you are using for the program. It’s also beneficial because it keeps your data secure and helps prevent unauthorized transactions.
If you are a QuickBooks professional, then you likely use it every single day. Keeping your license number updated is beneficial for many reasons, such as preventing future issues with licensing. This can help prevent unexpected work stoppage or rejection from the client. It also helps ensure that your company’s data is up to date and not missing any transactions. Having an updated license number also allows your software to keep track of when the software has expired or been deactivated.
QuickBooks Desktop and Professional Licensing Options
QuickBooks Desktop and Professional lets you buy a product license. One type of license is the single-user license, which gives you the right to install that product on one computer. The other type of license is the multi-user or enterprise license, which gives you the right to install that product on multiple computers.
Changing a QuickBooks Desktop License Number or Product Code
If you need to change your QuickBooks Desktop license number or product code, you can go to the QuickBooks website and follow the steps there. In order to do this, you will need your serial number from the bottom of your QuickBooks Desktop License card. Follow the instructions to change any of the information that is on your card.
In QuickBooks Desktop, you can change the number of licenses or product codes to use for your company. This is useful if you want to offer your customers a different version of your software.
Things to be Done When You Change a QuickBooks Desktop License Number or Product Code
- Ensure that the current QuickBooks is disconnected from your computer. This is important because changing the number of a license or product code will not take effect until the software is removed from the computer.
- Download and save the necessary file to your computer that contains the new product code or license number.
- Make sure that you have an internet connection before opening QuickBooks Desktop.
- Open QuickBooks Desktop as if it was new for the first time and enter in your new license or product code information.
- If you used a different program than what was provided, restart your computer and load QuickBooks Desktop again so that it reflects the changes
- QuickBooks Desktop license numbers or product codes can be changed when the software is purchased.
The Process to Change the License information in the QuickBooks Account on Your Windows System
- Open QuickBooks as an Administrator.
- Then from the top left side menu.
- Click on the Help menu option.
- From the drop-down menu options, choose the option named Manage My License.
- You can also search with M to locate the option.
- Then click on the Right arrow key to open its further option.
- From further options, select Change My License Number.
- It opens up a New Window that shows 4 Boxes to Enter the License Number.
- You have a Serial License Number that you have to Enter into it and it automatically formatted correctly in 4 boxes.
- After that, click on the Next button to Continue.
- To Save the license number, click on the Finish button.
The Process to Change the Product Code in the QuickBooks Account on Your Windows System
For changing product code, you have to choose any one method as there are 2 ways to change the product code in the QuickBooks Account. The 2 ways are mentioned below:
1. Change a QuickBooks Desktop Product Code by reinstalling QuickBooks Desktop Program
- To reinstall, first, uninstall the QuickBooks Program from your Windows system
- Now you have to reinstall the QuickBooks software into your system
- After installation, activate the software genuinely and start using it again
- When you are done, the product code will be changed automatically.
2. Change QuickBooks Product Code by Editing the qbregistration.dat File Manually
This process can be done by users who have the QuickBooks Enterprise Version. The process is divided into 3 processes that are mentioned below with detailed steps:
A. Open and Backup the qbregistration.dat file
Firstly, you have to open the file before making any changes and took a backup. So if any problem happens with the file then you must have the backup of that file to restore it. Open the file and make a backup copy. The steps are as follows:
- Open the QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise program.
- From the keyboard, press the F2 key or press and hold Ctrl + 1 keys to open the product information window.
- Then press the F3 key or press and hold Ctrl + 2 keys to open the Help Window.
- In the help window, click on the Open File tab.
- Then choose the qbregistration.dat file and hit on Open File button.
- The file opens up in the Notepad application.
- You have to make a Backup Copy of the qbregistration.dat file.
B. Edit the qbregistration.dat file
Editing is required as when you have a QuickBooks Enterprise edition with more than 5 users then you have to go with this method of editing. The steps are mentioned below:
- Using the Tech Help window, open the qbregistration.dat file.
- After that, close the QuickBooks Program and make sure that you won’t close the qbregistration.dat file.
- In Notepad, click on the Edit option.
- From the drop-down options, select the option Replace.
- The replace window opens up on your screen.
- In the Find Field, mention the Old Product Code.
- Then in Replace Field, mention the New Product Code.
- Now, click on the Replace All button.
- It replaces all the instances and then the Product Code is Changed.
- Go to the File Menu option.
- Then choose the Save option to Save All the Changes.
C. Check for Product Code
After completing the editing, you have to check the product code information whether the changes are applied or not. For this, the steps are:
- Open the QuickBooks Software in your system.
- Then press the F2 key to open the information window to check the License Number or Product Code.
- In the information window, locate the Product Code or Product Number field to check that it is updated.
- Now Restart the Computer to Check and Verify the changes.
How to Edit the QuickBooks Desktop License Number?
It is possible to edit the QuickBooks license number without uninstalling or reinstalling the QuickBooks Desktop application.
Here are the steps to change the particular QuickBooks Desktop License Number:
For Windows
Step 1: First, You need to open your QuickBooks software and then navigate to the Help menu. Now select the option for Manage my License.
Step 2: Now press on the option, Change my License Number.
Step 3: Now, Add your license number. Now press Next.
Step 4: Finally, Click the Finish button.
For Mac
Step 1: Choose the option, Manage my License from the particular QuickBooks menu.
Step 2: Now press on the option, Deauthorize this computer.
Step 3: A popup will appear on your computer system. Press on the option Deauthorize and then click Exit.
Step 4: Now you need to launch the particular QuickBooks application and then finish the registration process. You will receive an option to add your license number here.
In conclusion, there are 2 methods to change a QuickBooks Desktop License Number or Product Code. You are just required to identify that in which method implementation is done in which case. Make sure that you choose the correct method so that you won’t have to spend more time changing the product code or license number.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why it is Required to Backup the qbregistration.dat File while Changing QuickBooks Desktop License Number or Product Code?
How much time does Reinstallation take in the QuickBooks Enterprise Version when I am changing QuickBooks Desktop License Number or Product Code?
When you do reinstallation using enterprise edition then the time depends on the number of devices that are connected. As you have to do the same on all the workstations accordingly to fix it. If there are 5 or fewer users then you can use the above-mentioned reinstallation method which can be done easily. But if there are more users then it took a long time to do the reinstallation set up in all the workstations. You have to do another kind of solution, the method mentioned above (Editing method). With this, you can easily change a QuickBooks Desktop License Number or Product Code.
What if I have Done the Editing Method but am not able to Change a QuickBooks Desktop License Number or Product Code?
If editing the qbregistration.dat file method won’t work for you then you have to implement another method which is reinstallation of the QuickBooks Desktop program to make the changes.
